Mop wringer



S. SCHULMAN MOP WRINGER Filed May 5, 1954 INVENTOR Patented May 4, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Solomon Schulman, New York, N. Y.

Application May 5, 1934, Serial No. 724,009

6 Claims.

This invention relates to amop wringer and particularly to a mop wringer of the general type comprising a' drain cup for mounting upon a pail and adapted to be used in association with the pail and with a mop for draining off excess water from the mop into the pail.

An object of the invention is to provide a wringer of this type which will be of simplified construction, less expensiveto manufacture, and yet fully as eflicient in operation, as compared with the mop wringer shown in Patent No. 1,952,824, issued March 27th, 1934.

A more particular object is to so design: the drain or wringer cup that it may be readily shaped up from a piece of ordinary-sheet metal bent around and seamed together at one side.

A further object is to provide a novel form of bottom wall in the drain cup.

A further object is to providebroadly an improved. means for connecting the cup with the pail and for adapting a cup of a given standard size for use with equal facility upon pails of various sizes.

Other objects and aims of the invention, more or less specific than those referred-to above, will be in part obvious and in part pointed out in the course of the following description of the elements, combinations, arrangements of parts and applications of principles constituting the invention; andthe scope of protection contemplated will be indicated in the appended claims. i

In the accompanying drawing which is to be taken as a part of this specification, and in which I have shown merely a preferred form of embodiment of the invention:-

Fig. l is a side elevational View of a drain cup constructed in accordance with this invention and showing the same in operative position upon a pail; I

Fig. 2is aview similar to Fig. l but taken at i right angles with respect thereto.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged top plan view of the structure seen in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken upon 5 the plane of line IV--IV of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic top plan view showing the manner employed in arriving at the shape of the wringer cup support for pails of different sizes, and

Referring to the drawing for describing in detall the structure which is illustrated therein, the reference character L indicates an -ordinary water pail such as is commonlymade use of domesti- Fig. 6 is a plan view illustrating theshape of theblank from which the wringer cup is formed.

cally as a scrub bucket, the same having opposite upwardly projecting ears 1 and 2 within which are hinged the bail 3 by which the bucket may be carried in the usual way.

An outstanding wire edge or bead as 4' surrounds the upper marginal edge of the bucket.

The drain or wringer cup is indicated generally by the reference character G, and at H, in Fig. l, is illustrateda mop of the general type adapted for use in association with this cup, the illustration Fig. 1 showing clearly the manner in which the wringing of the mop is performed, namely by simply pressing the mop into the cup and twisting the mop, by means of its handle, about a substantially vertical axis, the twisting of the mop threads within the cup and against the walls of the cup serving to squeeze out the water so that the water will drain off through the openings as 5-5 and I3 in the cup walls and fall into the bucket.

The cup G is located more or less to one side of the upper open end of the bucket so that an open passage as 6 is left between the cup and the opposite side wall of the pail through which the mop may be inserted at any timewhen it is desired to wet the mop in the water which is Within the pail.

The cup G' may be formed'in any manner but is preferably formed from a single piece of sheet metal of approximately the shape illustrated in 6 of the drawing, the same being, bent around into a general cone shape and its edge portions 1-! being seamed together by a seam as indicated at 8 in Figs. 3 and 4.

The seam 8 is an interfolded seam and is therefore made up of multiple thickness of the sheet metal, and it thus constitutes a stiffening rib extending between the bottom andtop of the cup, thereby stifiening the walls of the cup against distortion.

This rib may occur at any radial portion of the cup, and if desired there may be provided more than one such rib, in which instance two or more separate pieces of sheet metal, instead of the single piece Fig. 6, may be employed and seamed together to provide as many strengthening ribs or seams as may be desired.

Or the additional ribs may be formed by other means as for instance by simply lap-folding or pleating the single piece of sheet metal, Fig. 6.

The purpose of the stiffening rib or ribs is to enable the use of a somewhat lighter gauge of metal for the cup than would otherwise be required in order to provide the requisite strength andstiffness for the cup.

The upper marginal portion of the cup walls may be rolled over, either inwardly or outwardly, so as to form an annular stiffening rib or wire edge as 9 at the upper edge of the cup. This stiffening element 9 will serve to connect together the upper ends of all of the stiffening ribs 8, and it may have a stiffening rod or wire as I0 within itself for increased strength.

A bottom wall II may be formed at the lower end of the cup in any suitable manner, but preferably by employing only integral portions of the sheet metal forming the side walls of the cup. To this end the drawing herewith suggests that the lower annular portion of the sheet metal forming the walls of the cup, that is those portions indicated by the dotted lines I2 in Fig. 4, may be bent up toward a common center, the bent-up portions being suitably fluted or radially corrugated during the bending-up operation, as clearly illustrated, so as to constitute a substantially fiat bottom. wall for the cup, only a small opening I3 being left centrally of said wall so that water draining from the mop onto said wall may flow off into the bucket.

It will be noted that the radial fluting or corrugating of the bottom wall as disclosed greatly strengthens said wall so that it is easily capable of withstanding downward pressure from a mop being wrung in the cup, and it also gives to said wall a means of suitably gripping the mop threads and thus facilitating the wringing operation. Although the surfaces of the corrugations are all round and smooth, and hence offer no edges which might snag or grip the mop threads objectionably, yet the corrugations are deep and definite so that they afford a good frictional grip for the lower end portions of the mop threads.

A bottom wall thus formed has of course an ideal connection between itself and the side walls of the cup, and owing to the great strength of the bottom. Wall it affords an excellent re-inforcing means for said side walls, thereby constituting an important means enabling the use of a lighter gauge of metal than would otherwise be required for the cup.

Preferably the fiuting of the wall II is so made that the lowermost wall portions as I4-I4 thereof stand approximately horizontal, that is at substantially a right angle to the vertical central axis of the cup, so that while water from the mop may flow along them and be discharged out of the central opening I3 still there will be little or no likelihood of the mop threads moving by gravity along said wall portions I4 toward the opening I3. One result of this arrangement is that the mop threads will not be likely to slide along the walls I4 and dangle out of the opening I3. The mop threads will be no more likely to dangle through the opening I3 than through adjacent openings 5, and this is desirable because of the fact that a mop thread dangling through an opening of the cup during the wringing operation is likely to become snagged in the walls of the opening so that when effort is later made to lift the mop from the cup the snagged mop thread may cause displacement of the cup and possible upsetting of the pail.

The means illustrated for attachment of the cup onto the pail consists of a spring clip as I5 at one side of the cup, and a cross supporting bar I6 at the other side.

The spring clip I5 is made to be very strong and substantial. It consists of a broad piece of spring metal fixed rigidly by its upper end to the cup, as by rivets or the like as IT, at a point well above the top bead 4 of the pail, so that a spring section thereof as I8 occurs between the bead and the rivets I'I.

At the lower end of the section I8 the material of the clip is bent sharply outwardly to form a shoulder I9, to overlie in engagement with the upper surface of the bead, and is thence curved downwardly around the outer surface of the bead and beneath the bead to form an underhanging shoulder as 20. The portion as 2I of the clip between the shoulders I9 and 20 is preferably curved to fit snugly to the contour of the bead, and the lower end portion as 22 of the clip below the shoulder 20 is curved outwardly in a manner adapting it to cam. over the bead when the cup is being snapped onto the pail, it being understood that in attaching the cup to the pail the portion 22 of the clip I5, in camming over the bead 4 of the pail, with the inner surface of the bead sliding against the adjacent outer surface portion of the cup wall, will flex the clip until the shoulder 20 passes beneath the point of greatest diameter of the bead, and that the spring action of the clip will then cause the shoulder 20 to snap beneath the bead and bring the shoulder I9 to rest upon the upper surface of the bead.

When the cup is in position upon the pail the shoulder 20 will extend beneath the bead just a suiflcient distance to retain the cup against accidental displacement. The shoulder I9 is somewhat more pronounced than the shoulder 20 and is intended to rest solidly upon the upper surface of the bead so as to co-operate in a positive manner with the adjacent wall surface of the cup to support the weight of the cup and to enable the cup to withstand the downward pressures to which it is subjected during the wringing of a mop within the cup.

The material of which the clip is formed is of such strength that while it will yield to permit the snapping of the cup onto the pail yet it will be amply strongto withstand the strains of use as referred to.

The retaining clip I5 may be attached onto the cup at any radial portion of the cup, but preferably it is attached at or adjacent to one of the re-inforcing ribs 8 as indicated so that said rib stands present to re-inforce the connection between the clip and the cup and to distribute strains from the clip to distant parts of the cup.

The cross supporting bar I6 at the opposite side of the cup is preferably formed from a strip of metal. It is fixed by its mid portion to the wall of the cup as at 2323 and its opposite end portions constitute arms 24-24 which extend away from the cup and engage with the head 4 of the pail at opposite sides of the pail spaced substantially equidistant from the clip I5, the points of engagement of these arms and of the clip I5 with the pail constituting a three-point suspension of the cup upon the pail.

The points of engagement of the arms with the pail are preferably sufficiently far from the point of engagement of the clip with the pail as to be at the opposite side of the area of greatest diameter of the pail.

The material of the supporting bar I6 is such as to stand Without material bending under downward pressure strains from a mop against the cup in use. At the same time it is sufficiently resiliently flexible so that the arms 2424 are capable of slight flexing movement in directions toward and away from the clip I5.

Each of the arms 24 is formed at its outer end I with atleast' one, andpreferably several, notches as -45 cut inthe under-edge of the arm shaped to receive and engage about the bead 4 of the pail, the notches each having underhanging portions or shoulders 26- adapted to stand beneath :the bead andto preventunintentional upward displacement of the cup from the pail in the same manner'as is the underhanging portion 20 of the clip l5.

i In attachingthe cup onto the pail it is simply necessary to engage a selected notch of' e'ach of the arms 24 about opposite portions of the pail .bead and to thenslide' the cup in the direction of the clip l5 so that the notches" will move toward the region of greatest'diameterof the pail and hence so that the walls of. the notches will come into tight frictional grip with their respective adjacent portions of'thebead, and finally to snap the clip 15 about-itsr; adjacent portion of the bead, the grip of the clip upon the bead serving thereafter to hold the notches 25 against accidental detachment from the bead.

The grip of the clip upon the bead may also provide such tight frictional engagement between the bead and the walls of the notches, and between the bead and the clip and the adjacent wall surface of the cup, as to retain the cup against any appreciable sliding movement along the bead in a direction rotatively of the pail.

Preferably, though not necessarily, the arms 24 are engaged with the bead both at the same side of the ears land 2 of the pail, the clip I5 in this instance engaging with the bead at the opposite side of the ears and mid-way between the ears, substantially as illustrated in the drawing, Fig. 3. By thus attaching the cup the two arms 24 may be held in direct contact against the pail ears by the clip l5 so that no sliding movement of the cup rotatively of the pail will be possible. The arms 24 may be drawn so tightly against the pail ears, and held by clip l5, as to be flexed and tensioned, if desired.

It is very desirable that this positioning of the cup upon the pail should be practiced by the user since it insures that the cup will always occupy a given position with respect to the bail or handle 3 of the pail, thereby avoiding conflict of the handle with the cup during use of the device and insuring that the space 6 will always be unobstructed for dipping the mop into the pail.

Here it is important to note that the arms 24-24 do not stand in a straight line, but that they diverge at an angle with respect to each other, and that the angle of inclination of these arms with respect to each other is definitely calculated to enable the arms to properly cooperate in supporting a given standard size of cup upon a plurality of difierent sizes of pails.

The method followed in arriving at the angle of inclination of the arms 24 with respect to each other and to the cup is clearly illustrated in the drawing Fig. 5 wherein the circle 21 indicates. the

wringer cup G, and the several circles 28, 29,

and indicate as many difierent sizes of pails. The pail 28 is shown as having opposite bail ears as 3l-3l thereon. The pail 29 is shown as having opposite bail ears as 3232. And the pail 30 is shown as having opposite bail ears as 33--33. By drawing the circles so that they touch, as at 34, the ears 3i, 32, and 33 stand in a given relation to each other, and lines representing the arms 24 touching the ears will have the proper inclination.

The mid portion of the supporting bar may be bentto lit to the normal conical contour of the cupwall but preferably the portion as. 35 0f the cup wall with which thebar engages isbent inwardly so as to be substantially vertical as indicated. This provides a seat as 36-into which the'bar is received in such wise that a shoulder portion as 31 of the seat stands in engagement with an upper'edge of thebowed mid portion of the bar to oppose upward movement of said mid portion.

Since the outer endsof the arms 24 where they engage the pail stand at the same side of the'rivets 23 as does the mid portion of the bar a very efficient connection is thus provided between the bar and the cup although only two widely spaced rivets 23 are utilized.

The seat forming portion 35 acts also to stiffen the cup structure, and being projected inwardly it co-operateswith the ribs 8, and with the corrug-ations of the bottom wall of the cup, to obstruct easy'slidingof the mop threads rotatively within the cup during the wringing operation and to thus improve the wringing operation.

As many changes could be made in this construction without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description, or shown in the accompanying drawing, shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-- r

1. In combination, a pail, a mop wringer cup mounted within the pail with one side of the cup engaging against an edge surface portion of the pail in supported relation, said cup and pail being proportioned and arranged to provide a space between the cup and a wall of the pail through which a mop of the type to be wrung in said cup may be dipped into the pail at the opposite side of the cup, and a pair of arms fixed to the cup and extending in opposite directions therefrom into supported engagement with the pail at points spaced from the point of engagement between the cup and the pail, and said arms extending in divergent relation to each other the angle of divergence corresponding substantially with the angle defined by a pair of straight lines which would touch all of the bail ears of a plurality of pails progressively increasing in size if said pails should be nested together with their rims touching each other midway of the ears.

2. A mop wringer comprising a cup shaped member adapted for connection with a pail and being formed of sheet metal provided with a plurality of relatively vertical stiffening ribs therein each including a plurality of thicknesses of said sheet metal for re-inforcing the walls of the cup, a spring clip attached to the cup at one of said ribs adapted for connecting one side of the cup with the pail, and a cross bar connected with the cup at another of said ribs adapted for connecting the opposite side of the cup with the paiLsaid ribs constituting means to re-inforce the connection between said spring clip and the cup and between the cross bar and the cup.

3. A mop wringer comprising a cup shaped member adapted for connection with a pail and being formed of a plurality of pieces of sheet metal bent around and seamed together by interfolded seams constituting a plurality of reinforcing ribs extending substantially vertically of the cup and spaced apart circumferentially of the cup, means fixed to the cup at one of said ribs and re-inforced thereby adapted for connecting one side of the cup with the pail, and means for connecting the other side of the cup with the pail comprising a cross bar bridging between at least two of said ribs and fixed to the cup at said ribs, end portions of said cross bar extending in opposite directions from the cup adapted for engagement with the pail.

4. A mop wringer intended for connection with a pail, said wringer being formed of sheet metal bent into cup shape openat its lower end, and the lower edge portions of the sheet metal forming the annular walls of said cup being bent upwardly toward a common center so as to complete an approximately fiat bottom for said cup having a central opening therethrough.

5. A mop wringer intended for connection with a pail, said wringer being formed of sheet metal bent into cup shape open at its lower end, and the lower edge portions of the sheet metal forming the annular walls of said cup being bent upwardly toward a common center and being radially corrugated so as to constitute a corrugated bottom wall for said cup integral with the side walls and with a central opening therethrough downwardly toward which the lowermost portions of the corrugations incline.

. 6. A mop wringer comprising a cup shaped member adapted for connection with a pail and being formed of sheet metal bent around and seamed together by a seam which extends substantially vertically of the cup, the lower edge portions of the sheet metal forming the annular wall of said cup being bent upwardly toward a common center so as to complete a bottom wall for said cup having a central opening therethrough, and said seam being of multiple thickness metal so as to re-inforce the annular wall of the cup and extending into and re-inforcing the bottom wall of the cup.

SOLOMON SCHULMAN. 

